Substrate centering device and organic material deposition system

ABSTRACT

A substrate centering device for an organic material deposition system comprises: a plurality of substrate support holders configured to be reciprocally movable in a facing direction within an organic material deposition chamber and supporting both side portions of a substrate loaded by a robot; a substrate centering unit configured to be reciprocally movable at each of the substrate support holders and centering the substrate by guiding both side portions of the substrate; and a plurality of substrate clampers configured to be reciprocally movable in a vertical direction at each of the substrate support holders, and clamping the substrate that has been centered by the substrate centering unit.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS AND CLAIM OF PRIORITY

This application is a continuation application of the prior applicationSer. No. 12/881,759 filed in the U.S. Patent & Trademark Office on 14Sep. 2010 and assigned to the assignee of the present invention.Furthermore, this application makes reference to, incorporates the sameherein, and claims all benefits accruing under 35 U.S.C §119 from anapplication earlier filed in the Korean intellectual property Office on25 Sep. 2009 and there duly assigned Serial No. 10-2009-0091322.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The described technology relates generally to an organic materialdeposition system, and more particularly, to a substrate centeringdevice for centering a substrate on which an organic material is to bedeposited.

2. Description of the Related Art

In general, in order to fabricate a flat panel display device such as anorganic light emitting diode (OLED) display device, an organic thin filmdeposition process is performed to deposit an organic material on asubstrate made of glass (referred to as a “glass substrate”hereinafter). An organic material deposition system may perform theorganic thin film deposition process. The organic material depositionsystem may include a substrate centering device for centering a glasssubstrate to a pre-set location within a vacuum chamber after the glasssubstrate is introduced to the interior of the vacuum chamber.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

It is therefore one aspect for the present invention to provide animproved organic material deposition system.

It is another aspect to provide an improved substrate centering deviceof the organic material deposition system having advantages ofpreventing a glass substrate from being damaged by a physical force in adeposition process, and an organic material deposition system having thesame.

An exemplary embodiment provides a substrate centering device for anorganic material deposition system, including a plurality of substratesupport holders configured to be reciprocally movable in a facingdirection within an organic material deposition chamber, i.e., thesubstrate support holders moving toward or away from the substrate in ahorizontal direction with respect to the substrate, and supporting bothside portions of a substrate loaded by a robot; a substrate centeringunit configured to be reciprocally movable at each of the substratesupport holders and centering the substrate by guiding both sideportions of the substrate; and a plurality of substrate clampersconfigured to be reciprocally movable in a vertical direction at each ofthe substrate support holders, and clamping the substrate that has beencentered by the substrate centering unit.

When the substrate is introduced to the interior of the organic materialdeposition chamber, the substrate support holders may move forward toboth side portions of the substrate in a state of having been movedbackward.

When the substrate is loaded on the substrate support holders, thesubstrate centering unit may move forward to both side portions of thesubstrate in a state of having been moved backward.

The substrate centering device may further include an operation unitconfigured at the substrate support holder and the organic materialdeposition chamber and reciprocally moving the substrate centering unit.

The substrate centering unit may include a moving member installed to bereciprocally movable at the substrate support holder; and a rollermember rotatably mounted at the moving member and rollingly brought intocontact with both side portions of the substrates.

The substrate centering unit may further include at least one returnspring installed to be connected with the substrate support holder andthe moving member.

The operation unit may include an operation cylinder mounted in avertical direction in the organic material deposition chamber; apressure member installed to be connected with an operation rod of theoperation cylinder; and a cam link rotatably installed on the substratesupport holder, pressurized by the pressure member in accordance with anoperation of the operation cylinder, and brought into cam-contact withthe moving member.

The operation cylinder may be formed as a pneumatic cylinder operatingby pneumatic pressure.

The substrate centering unit may include a pair of stopper membersmounted on the moving member and limiting the reciprocal movementdistance of the moving member with respect to the substrate supportholder.

The stopper members may be configured as stopper bolts.

The substrate centering device may further include a driving unit formedin the organic material deposition chamber and reciprocally moving thesubstrate support holder.

The driving unit may include a guider installed in the organic materialdeposition chamber, to which the substrate support holder is coupled tobe reciprocally movable; and a servo motor configured to be connectedwith the substrate support holder within the organic material depositionchamber and providing driving power to the substrate support holder.

Another embodiment provides an organic material deposition systemincluding an organic material deposition chamber; a substrate centeringdevice configured in the organic material deposition chamber andcentering a substrate loaded by a robot; a substrate fixing holderconfigured in the organic material deposition chamber and fixing thesubstrate; and a mask holder fixing a mask at a lower side of thesubstrate fixing holder and configured to ascend and descend in theorganic material deposition chamber, wherein the substrate centeringdevice includes a plurality of substrate support holders configured tobe reciprocally movable in a facing direction within an organic materialdeposition chamber, a substrate centering unit configured to bereciprocally movable at each of the substrate support holders, and aplurality of substrate clampers configured to be reciprocally movable ina vertical direction at each of the substrate support holders.

The substrate centering device may include an operation unit configuredat the substrate support holder and the organic material depositionchamber and reciprocally moving the substrate centering unit.

The substrate centering unit may include: a moving member installed tobe reciprocally movable at the substrate support holder; a roller memberrotatably mounted on the moving member and rollingly brought intocontact with both sides of the substrate; and at least one return springinstalled to be connected with the substrate support holder and themoving member.

The substrate centering unit may include a pair of stopper membersmounted on the moving member and limiting a reciprocal movement distanceof the moving member with respect to the substrate support holder.

The operation unit may include: an operation cylinder mounted in avertical direction in the organic material deposition chamber; apressure member installed to be connected with an operation rod of theoperation cylinder; and a cam link rotatably installed on the substratesupport holder, pressurized by the pressure member according to anoperation of the operation cylinder, and brought into cam-contact withthe moving member.

In the substrate centering device and the organic material depositionsystem having the same according to exemplary embodiments, when thesubstrate that has been introduced into the organic material depositionchamber by a robot is centered, even if a teaching adjustment by therobot is not accurately made or even if the loaded location of thesubstrate with respect to the substrate support holder changes due to anexternal force, a collision between the roller member and the substratecan be prevented because the roller member has been moved backward bythe moving member.

Thus, damage to the substrate due to a collision between the rollermember and the substrate according to a change in the loaded location ofthe substrate can be prevented.

Also, when the loaded location of the substrate is changed, theoccurrence of a phenomenon that the substrate gets on the roller memberor the like can be prevented, preventing damage to the substrateaccording to the clamping operation of the substrate clampers.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

A more complete appreciation of the invention, and many of the attendantadvantages thereof, will be readily apparent as the same becomes betterunderstood by reference to the following detailed description whenconsidered in conjunction with the accompanying drawings in which likereference symbols indicate the same or similar components, wherein:

FIG. 1 is a schematic view schematically showing the configuration of anorganic material deposition system constructed as an exemplaryembodiment.

FIG. 2 is a front view of a substrate centering device for the organicmaterial deposition system constructed as an exemplary embodiment.

FIG. 3 is a plan view of the substrate centering device of FIG. 2.

FIGS. 4 and 5 are schematic views schematically showing a driving unitand an operating unit employed for the substrate centering device forthe organic material deposition system constructed as an exemplaryembodiment.

FIGS. 6 through 8 are views for showing an operational process of thesubstrate centering device for the organic material deposition systemconstructed as an exemplary embodiment.

FIG. 9 illustrates the sequential process of the operation of thesubstrate centering device for the organic material deposition systemconstructed as an exemplary embodiment.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

The present invention will be described more fully hereinafter withreference to the accompanying drawings, in which exemplary embodimentsof the invention are shown. As those skilled in the art would realize,the described embodiments may be modified in various different ways, allwithout departing from the spirit or scope of the present invention.

In order to clarify the present invention, parts that are not connectedwith the description will be omitted, and the same elements orequivalents are referred to by the same reference numerals throughoutthe specification.

The size and thickness of each element are arbitrarily shown in thedrawings, and the present invention is not necessarily limited thereto.

In the drawings, the thickness of layers, films, panels, regions, etc.,are exaggerated for clarity. Also, in the drawings, the thickness ofsome layers and regions are exaggerated for the sake of brevity. It willbe understood that when an element such as a layer, film, region, orsubstrate is referred to as being “on” another element, it can bedirectly on the other element or intervening elements may also bepresent.

An organic material deposition system performing the organic thin filmdeposition process evaporates the organic material, that is, the organicthin film material, with respect to the glass substrate and a maskcombined therewith within a vacuum chamber in order to form an organicthin film with a certain pattern on the glass substrate.

The organic material deposition system includes a substrate centeringdevice for centering the glass substrate to a pre-set location withinthe vacuum chamber after the glass substrate is introduced to theinterior of the vacuum chamber by means of a robot.

In this case, however, there is a possibility that, within the organicmaterial deposition system, the glass substrate may be damaged by anexternal physical force or by a collision between members constitutingthe organic material deposition system.

The above information disclosed is only for enhancement of understandingof the background of the described technology and therefore it maycontain information that does not form the prior art that is alreadyknown in this country to a person of ordinary skill in the art.

FIG. 1 is a view schematically showing the configuration of an organicmaterial deposition system constructed as an exemplary embodiment.

With reference to FIG. 1, the organic material deposition system 100constructed as an exemplary embodiment is for depositing an organic thinfilm pattern on a substrate made of glass (referred to as “glasssubstrate” hereinafter) in accordance with a vacuum deposition methodwhen fabricating a flat panel display such as an organic light emittingdiode (OLED) display device.

Here, the vacuum deposition method refers to a method of forming anorganic thin film of a certain pattern on the glass substrate byevaporating an organic material, an organic thin film material, througha heat evaporation source 90 in a vacuum state.

The organic material deposition system 100 includes an organic materialdeposition chamber 10, a substrate centering device 200, a substratefixing holder 50, and a mask holder 70. These elements will now bedescribed.

In the present exemplary embodiment, the organic material depositionchamber 10 is configured as a vacuum chamber creating a vacuumatmosphere, which includes a heat deposition source (not shown) asmentioned above installed therein and a gate (not shown) allowing theglass substrate 20 to be carried in and out therethrough.

The organic material deposition chamber 10 further includes variousmotors for driving the system 100, a pump unit, a high pressure airunit, a vacuum creation unit, a heater unit, an electronic control unit,and the like.

Various components of the organic material deposition system 100constructed as an exemplary embodiment as described hereinafter areformed in the organic material deposition chamber 10, and variousbrackets, a block, a plate, a housing, a cover, a bar, a collar, and thelike, are adjunct elements for installing the various components in theorganic material deposition chamber 10.

Thus, in the following description, these adjunct elements will becollectively called the organic material deposition chamber 10 in allbut exceptions.

In the present exemplary embodiment, the substrate centering device 200serves to load a glass substrate 20, which has been introduced into theinterior of the organic material deposition chamber 10, and adjusts acentering location of the glass substrate 20 by means of a robot (notshown).

The configuration of the substrate centering device 200 constructed asan exemplary embodiment will be described in detail later with referenceto FIGS. 2 through 5.

In the present exemplary embodiment, the substrate fixing holder 50holds and fixes the substrate 20 that has been adjusted to be centeredby the substrate centering device 200.

The substrate fixing holder 50 is formed to be connected with a shaft 60disposed at the internal center from an upper portion of the organicmaterial deposition chamber 10, and makes a vertical movement and arotational movement through the shaft 60.

The substrate fixing holder 50 has a plate shape with a hole formed atits central portion. The glass substrate 20 is mounted at the stepportion. The substrate fixing holder 50 may have a circular plan viewbut is not limited thereto.

Here, a pressure holder (not shown) with a general structure isinstalled at an upper side of the substrate fixing holder 50 in order topressurize the glass substrate 20 mounted on the substrate fixing holder50.

In the present exemplary embodiment, the mask holder 70 fixes a mask 80serving as a shielding means for forming an organic thin film with acertain pattern on the glass substrate 20.

The mask holder 70 is configured to ascend and descend at a lower sideof the substrate fixing holder 50 in the organic material depositionchamber 10, has a plate shape with a hole formed at its central portion,and includes a step S70 formed at a portion where an upper surface andan inner side surface are in contact. The mask holder 70 may have arectangular plan view.

Here, the mask 80 is welded on a mask frame 81 that is mounted at thestep portion of the mask holder 70.

Reference numeral 40 in FIG. 1 denotes a magnet plate disposed on theglass substrate 20 mounted at the substrate fixing holder 50 to couplethe glass substrate 20 and the mask 80 in the organic materialdeposition chamber 10. A recessed portion may be formed on the side wallof the magnet plate 40. The substrate fixing holder 50 may move alongthe recessed portion to press the substrate 20 downward.

The organic material deposition chamber 10, the substrate fixing holder50, and the mask holder 70 constructed as the present exemplaryembodiment as stated above are pertinent to a contemporary technique, soa detailed description thereof will be omitted.

The configuration of the substrate centering device 200 constructed asan exemplary embodiment as mentioned above will now be described indetail with reference to FIGS. 2 through 5.

FIG. 2 is a front view of a substrate centering device 200 for theorganic material deposition system constructed as an exemplaryembodiment, and FIG. 3 is a plan view of the substrate centering device200 of FIG. 2.

With reference to FIGS. 2 and 3, the substrate centering devices 200 forthe organic material deposition system constructed as an exemplaryembodiment are formed at both side portions of the substrate 20 (seeFIG. 1) such that the substrate centering devices 200 correspond to thesubstrate fixing holder 50 (see FIG. 1) within the organic materialdeposition chamber 10 (see FIG. 1).

Each of the substrate centering devices 200 for the organic materialdeposition system includes a substrate support holder 210, a substratecentering unit 250, and a substrate clamper 290. These elements will bedescribed as follows.

In the present exemplary embodiment, the substrate support holder 210supports both side portions of the glass substrate 20 loaded into theorganic material deposition chamber 10 by means of the robot (notshown). The substrate support holder 210 may support both side portionsof the glass substrate 20 as shown in FIG. 9. Here, a plurality ofsubstrate support holders 210 are provided within the organic materialdeposition chamber 10. Specifically, the plurality of substrate supportholders 210 are formed at the corners of the glass substrate 20 that hasbeen moved to a pre-set location within the organic material depositionchamber 10 according to teaching of the robot.

A pair of substrate support holders 210 of a pair of the substratecentering devices 200 may be provided at left and right sides of theorganic material deposition chamber 10 based on FIG. 1, and are formedto be reciprocally movable forward and backward at a point of view ofthe left side or the right side of the organic material depositionchamber 10. The pair of substrate support holders 210 may be movabletoward each other or away from each other. When the substrate supportholders 210 move toward the substrate 20, the substrate support holders210 perform a forward movement. When the substrate support holders 210move away from the substrate 20, the substrate support holders 210perform a backward movement.

In this case, in consideration of the fact that the substrate supportholders 210 are reciprocally moved in a facing direction, i.e., at apoint of view of the left side or the right side of the organic materialdeposition chamber 10, it is naturally understood that the substratesupport holders 210 are reciprocally moved in the left and rightdirections D1 and D2 in view of FIG. 1. In this case, in considerationof the fact that the substrate support holders 210 may move forward andbackward in the horizontal direction in a point of view of the left sideor the right side of the organic material deposition chamber 10, suchreciprocal movement of the substrate support holders 210 will be definedas a forward/backward movement. When the substrate support holders 210reciprocally moves in the facing direction, the substrate supportholders 210 moves toward or away from the substrate in a horizontaldirection with respect to the substrate 20.

Each of the substrate support holders 210 includes a main body 211, asub-body 213 fixed at an upper side 212 of the main body 211, and aholder body 215 disposed between the main body 211 and the sub-body 213.

The main body 211, the sub-body 213, and the holder body 215 are coupledby bolts or the like, and the holder body 215 is formed to be protrudedwith a certain length L from the main body 211 toward both side portionsof the glass substrate 20 between the main body 211 and the sub-body213.

The holder body 215 includes support portions 217 formed at an end ofthe protruded portion and the support portions 217 support both sideportions of the glass substrate 20, and a slip region 219 formed as arecess stepped from the support portion 217.

Meanwhile, the substrate centering device 200 constructed as anexemplary embodiment includes a driving unit 230 for reciprocally movingthe substrate support holders 210 forward and backward, as shown inFIGS. 4 and 5.

In the present exemplary embodiment, the driving unit 230, which isconfigured to correspond to the substrate support holder 210 within theorganic material deposition chamber 10, includes a guider 231 and aservo motor 235.

The guider 231, serving to guide a forward/backward reciprocal movementof the substrate support holder 210, is configured as a linear motion(L.M) guide that is widely used in the art, and is installed along themovement direction of the substrate support holder 210 within theorganic material deposition chamber 10.

The servo motor 235 that provides driving power for the forward/backwardreciprocal movement of the substrate support holder 210 is fixedlyinstalled at a plate within the organic material deposition chamber 10,and generates forward/backward rotational driving power according to acontrol signal provided from a controller (not shown).

The servo motor 235 provides the rotational driving power to thesubstrate support holder 210 through a power transmission unit 237. Thepower transmission unit 237 includes a timing belt, a ball screw, andthe like. The power transmission unit 237 has a structure for convertingthe rotational movement provided from the servo motor 235 into a linearmovement to reciprocally move the substrate support holder 210 forwardand backward.

Here, the power transmission unit 237 is configured as a powertransmission device for a servo system that is widely known in the art,and is connected with a connection member 239 coupled to the guider 231such that the connection member 239 is reciprocally slidably movable.

The connection member 239 has a rod form and is connected with thesub-body 213 of the substrate support holder 210.

In the present exemplary embodiment, the substrate centering unit 250guides both side portions of the glass substrate 20 that has been loadedon the substrate support holder 210, and centers the glass substrate 20.

The substrate centering unit 250 that is configured to be reciprocallymovable forward and backward with respect to the respective substratesupport holders 210 includes a moving member 251, a roller member 253,and a return spring 257.

The moving member 251 is coupled with the sub-body 213 of the substratesupport holder 210 such that the moving member 251 is reciprocallyslidably movable along the movement direction of the substrate supportholder 210.

Specifically, the moving member 251 is coupled with a guide rail (notshown) formed on an upper surface of the sub-body 213 such that it isreciprocally slidably movable, and an extending portion 252 isintegrally formed with the moving member 251 such that it is parallel tothe holder body 215 of the substrate support holder 210.

The roller member 253 substantially guides both side portions of theglass substrate 20 that has been loaded on the support portion 217 ofthe substrate support holder 210, and centers the glass substrate 20.

The roller member 253 is rotatably mounted on the extending portion 252of the moving member 251, and is slidably disposed on the slip region219 of the holder body 215 of the substrate support holder 210.

The roller member 253 is slidably moved on the slip region 219 of theholder body 215 as the moving member 251 is reciprocally moved forwardand backward, and may be rollingly brought into a direct physicalcontact with both side portions of the glass substrate 20 supported bythe support portion 217 of the holder body 217 or may be physicallyseparated from and spaced apart from both side portions of the glasssubstrate 20.

Here, the roller member 253 is rotatably installed at a rotational shaft254 fixed in a vertical direction toward the support portion 217 of thesubstrate support holder 210 at the end of the extending portion 252.

Namely, one end portion of the rotational shaft 254 is fixed to theextending portion 252 of the moving member 251, and the other endportion of the rotational shaft 254 has the roller member 253 rotatablymounted thereon.

The return spring 257 provides elastic force of restitution of thespring to the moving member 251 when the moving member 251 moves forwardin order to return the moving member 251 back to its original locationthrough the elastic force of restitution.

A pair of return springs 257 is provided as shown in FIG. 3, and isconfigured as tension springs installed to be connected with thesub-body 213 of the substrate support holder 210 and the moving member251.

Namely, one end portion of each of the return springs 257 may beconnected with the sub-body 213 through a bolt, and the other endportion of each of the return springs 257 may be connected with themoving member 251 through a bolt.

Meanwhile, the substrate centering unit 250 constructed as the presentexemplary embodiment further includes a pair of stopper members 281 (asshown in FIG. 2) and 282 (as shown in FIG. 3) for limiting theforward/backward reciprocal movement distance of the moving member 251with respect to the substrate support holder 210.

Among the pair of stopper members 281 and 282, one stopper member 281(referred to as “first stopper member” hereinafter) as shown in FIG. 2is installed at one side of the moving member 251 and serves to limitthe forward movement distance of the moving member 251 with respect tothe substrate support holder 210.

The first stopper member 281 is installed at a lower surface side of themoving member 251 and is stopped at a first stopper protrusion 285provided to be protruded from the sub-body 213 of the substrate supportholder 210. In other words, the first stopper member 281 defines theclosest distance between the moving member 251 and the substrate 20.

Another stopper member 282 (referred to as “second stopper member”hereinafter) is installed at the other side of the moving member 251 inorder to prevent the backward direction movement of the moving member251. In other words, the second stopper member 282 defines the farthestdistance between the moving member 251 and the substrate 20.

The second stopper member 282 is installed at an end portion of theopposite side of the extending portion 252 of the moving member 251 andis stopped by a second stopper protrusion 286 formed to be protrudedfrom the sub-body 213 of the substrate support holder 210.

Here, preferably, the first and second stopper members 281 and 282 areprovided as stopper bolts 283 and 284 that can adjust an operationalstroke of the moving member 251 in a bolt manner.

Meanwhile, as shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, the substrate centering device 200constructed as an exemplary embodiment includes an operation unit 260for reciprocally moving the moving member 251 of each substratecentering unit 250 forward and backward in a state that each substratesupport holder 210 advances forward along the guider 231 by the drivingunit 230.

In the present exemplary embodiment, the operation unit 260, configuredat the substrate support holder 210 and the organic material depositionchamber 10. The operation unit 260 includes an operation cylinder 261formed on the organic material deposition chamber 10, a pressure member263 formed at the operation cylinder 261, and a cam link 265 formed atthe substrate support holder 210.

The operation cylinder 261 is fixedly installed on a plate in a verticaldirection outside the organic material deposition chamber 10, and isconfigured as a pneumatic cylinder having an operation rod 262 movingforward and backward by pneumatic pressure.

The pressure member 263 is installed to be connected with the operationrod 262 of the operation cylinder 261 through a connection bracket 264,and has a bar form fixed in a vertical direction D4 to the connectionbracket 264.

In this case, the pressure member 263 is reciprocally moved along thevertical direction D4 as the operation rod 262 of the operation cylinder261 operates forward and backward in the vertical direction D3.

The connection bracket 264 is coupled to a guide rail (not shown)installed in the organic material deposition chamber 10 such that it isreciprocally slidably movable, in order to stably reciprocally move thepressure member 263.

The cam link 265 is rotatably mounted on the sub-body 213 of thesubstrate support holder 210 such that it corresponds to the movingmember 251 of the substrate centering unit 250.

The cam link 265 is pressurized by the pressure member 263 according tothe operation of the operation cylinder 261, and is configured to becam-contacted with an end portion of the moving member 251.

In detail, the cam link 265 is configured as a substantially triangularplate cam, and includes first through third lobes 266 a, 266 b, and 266c formed as cam protrusions.

Here, the first lobe 266 a is a portion pressurized by the pressuremember 263 according to a forward operation of the operation rod 262 ofthe operation cylinder 261, where a first rotary roller 267, with whichthe pressure member 263 may be brought into contact with the firstrotary roller 267 as shown in FIG. 5, is installed.

The second lobe 266 b is a portion rotatably connected with the sub-body213 of the substrate support holder 210. In this case, the second lobe266 b is rotatably connected with the sub-body 213 through a bearing268.

The third lobe 266 c is a portion that is brought into cam-contact withthe end portion of the moving member 251, namely, the end portion of theopposite side of the extending portion 252. A second rotary roller 269,which may be brought into contact with the end portion 2511 of themoving member 251, is installed on the third lobe 266 c. The secondrotary roller 269 may be brought in a direct physical contact with theend portion 2511 of the moving member 251.

In the present exemplary embodiment, the substrate clamper 290 may clampthe glass substrate 20 that has been centered by the substrate centeringunit 250 at the substrate support holder 210.

The substrate clamper 290, configured to be connected with each thesubstrate support holders 210 through mounting brackets 291, includes aclamping pin 292 that can be reciprocally movable in a verticaldirection D5 from a location corresponding to the support portion 217 ofthe substrate support holder 210.

The clamping pin 292 may be loaded to the support portion 217 of thesubstrate support holder 210, and clamps both side portions of the glasssubstrate 20 that has been centered by the substrate centering unit 250.

The clamping pin 292 is configured to be reciprocally movable in thevertical direction D5 through a driving cylinder 294. In this case, theclamping pin 292 is coupled with a front end of an operation rod 295 ofthe driving cylinder 294, and the driving cylinder 294 is fixedlymounted on the mounting bracket 291.

The operation of the organic material deposition system 100 configuredas described above constructed as an exemplary embodiment will now bedescribed in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

As illustrated, in the present exemplary embodiment, the glass substrate20 (see FIG. 1) is introduced to the interior of the organic materialdeposition chamber 10 through a transportation means such as the robot(not shown) and is then transported to a pre-set location within theorganic material deposition chamber 10 in accordance with teaching ofthe robot.

Here, the mask 80 is fixed to the mask holder 70, and each substratesupport holder 210 is in a state of having been moved backward along theguider 231 by the servo motor 235 of the driving unit 230, as shown inFIG. 4.

In the case of backward movement of the substrate support holder 210,the pressure member 263 of the operation unit 260 is in a state ofhaving been moved backward in the upward direction toward the operationcylinder 261 in accordance with a backward operation of the operationrod 262 of the operation cylinder 261, and the clamping pin 292 of thesubstrate clamper 290 is in a state of having been moved backward in theupward direction toward the driving cylinder 294 in accordance with abackward operation of the operation rod 295 of the driving cylinder 294.

Also, as shown in FIGS. 2 and 4, the moving member 251 of the substratecentering unit 250 is in a state of having been moved backward withrespect to each substrate support holder 210, where the moving member251 has been moved away from the substrate 20. The roller member 253 isalso in a state of having been moved backward at the slip region 219 ofthe substrate support holder 210 in accordance with the backwardmovement of the moving member 251, where the roller member 253 has beenmoved away from the substrate 20.

At this time, as shown in FIG. 3, the moving member 251 is in a state ofhaving been moved backward by a pre-set movement distance as the secondstopper member 282 was stopped by the second stopper protrusion 286.

In this state, as shown in FIG. 5, each substrate support holder 210moves forward toward both side portions of the glass substrate 20 alongthe guider 231 according to the operation of the servo motor 235 of thedriving unit 230.

Now turning to FIGS. 6 through 8. The glass substrate 20 is then loadedto the support 217 (See FIG. 6) of the substrate support holder 210 bythe robot (not shown) as shown in S1 of FIG. 9, and in this case, bothside portions of the glass substrate 20 are mounted on the supportportion 217 of the substrate support holder 210.

Next, in the state that each substrate support holder 210 has been movedforward, the operation cylinder 261 of the operation unit 260 isoperated to lower the pressure member 263 as shown in FIGS. 6 and 7according to the present exemplary embodiment.

Namely, when the operation rod 262 of the operation cylinder 261 ismoved forward in the downward direction D6, the pressure member 263connected with the operation rod 262 is moved in the downward directionD7.

Accordingly, the pressure member 263 pressurizes the first lobe 266 a ofthe cam link 265, and accordingly, the cam link 265 is rotatedcounterclockwise centering around the second lobe 266 b.

Then, the third lobe 266 c of the cam link 265 pressurizes the endportion 2511 of the moving member 251, while moving the moving member251 forward to both side portions of the glass substrate 20.

Here, as the first stopper member 281 is stopped by the first stopperprotrusion 285, the moving member 251 moves forward (i.e., moves towardthe substrate 20) by a pre-set movement distance.

Further, the return spring 257 is tensioned along a lengthwise directionL as shown in FIG. 2 according to the forward movement of the movingmember 251, and provides an elastic force of restitution that isgenerated at this time to the moving member 251.

Accordingly, as the moving member 251 moves forward with respect to eachsubstrate support holder 210, the roller member 253 moves forward at theslip region 219 of the substrate support holder 210. In other words,when the moving member 251 moves toward the substrate 20, the rollermember 253 moves toward the substrate 20.

The roller member 253 may be moved toward the substrate 20 along adirection of D8 as shown in FIG. 6 in order to be brought in contactwith the both side portions of the substrate 20. The roller member 253may be in direct physical contact with the both side portions of thesubstrate 20. Accordingly, the roller member 253 is rollingly broughtinto contact with both side portions of the glass substrate 20 that hasbeen loaded on the support portion 217 of the substrate support holder210, adjusting left and right centering of the glass substrate 20, whileguiding both side portions to adjust, as shown in S2 of FIG. 9.

As shown in FIG. 7, the substrate support holder 210 is moved toward thesubstrate 20. The position of the substrate 20 may be adjusted by themovement of the roller member 253.

After undergoing the above mentioned processes, the clamping pin 292 ofthe substrate clamper 290 moves forward in the downward direction asshown in S3 of FIG. 9 according to the forward operation of theoperation rod 295 of the driving cylinder 294 in the downward directionD9 as shown in FIG. 8, clamping both side portions of the glasssubstrate 20.

In a state that the clamping of the glass substrate 20 by the substrateclamper 290 is completed, the aforementioned operation rod 262 of theoperation cylinder 261 moves backward in the upward direction as shownin FIG. 5.

Then, the pressure member 263 connected with the operation rod 262 movesbackward in the upward direction and the pressurizing force of thepressure member 263 applied to the first lobe 266 a of the cam link 265is released, and accordingly, the moving member 251 moves backward toits original location as shown in S4 of FIG. 9 by the elastic force ofrestitution of the return spring 257.

Namely, pushing the third lobe 266 c of the cam link 265 by virtue ofthe elastic force of restitution of the return spring 257 to rotate thecam link 265 clockwise, the moving member 251 is returned to itsoriginal location.

Thus, in the present exemplary embodiment, in the state that the leftand right sides of the glass substrate 20 are centered through thesequential operational processes as described above, the glass substrate20 is fixed to the substrate fixing holder 50 and the location of theglass substrate 20 is aligned through the shaft 60.

Finally, in the present exemplary embodiment, the mask holder 70 ismoved toward the substrate fixing holder 50, the glass substrate 20 andthe mask 80 are coupled by means of the magnet plate 40, and the organicmaterial is then evaporated by the heat evaporation source 90 to form acertain organic thin film pattern on the glass substrate 20.

As described above, in the organic material deposition system 100constructed as the exemplary embodiment, in left and right centering ofthe glass substrate 20 that has been loaded on the substrate supportholder 210, the moving member 251 of the substrate centering unit 250 ismoved backward to sufficiently secure the space between the glasssubstrate 20 and the roller member 253, and then the glass substrate 20is centered left and right while moving the roller member 253 forward.

Accordingly, in the present exemplary embodiment, even if the teachingadjustment by the robot is not precisely performed or even if the loadedlocation of the glass substrate 20 on the substrate support holder 210is changed due to an external force, because the roller member 253 hasbeen moved backward by the moving member 251, the occurrence of acollision between the roller member 253 and the glass substrate 20 maybe prevented.

Namely, in the present exemplary embodiment, damage to the glasssubstrate 20 due to a collision between the roller member 253 and theglass substrate 20 that is possibly caused as the loaded location of theglass substrate 20 is changed may be prevented.

Also, in the present exemplary embodiment, the occurrence of aphenomenon that the glass substrate 20 gets on the roller member 253 orthe like when the loaded location of the glass substrate 20 is changedmay be prevented, thus preventing damage to the glass substrate 20according to a clamping operation of the substrate clamper 290.

While this disclosure has been described in connection with what ispresently considered to be practical exemplary embodiments, it is to beunderstood that the invention is not limited to the disclosedembodiments, but, on the contrary, is intended to cover variousmodifications and equivalent arrangements included within the spirit andscope of the appended claims.

What is claimed is:
 1. A deposition method, comprising steps of: loadinga substrate on a substrate centering device within an organic materialdeposition chamber; adjusting a position of the substrate by thesubstrate centering device, the substrate centering device comprising aplurality of substrate support holders configured to be reciprocallymovable in a facing direction within the organic material depositionchamber, a substrate centering unit configured to be reciprocallymovable at each of the substrate support holders, and a plurality ofsubstrate clampers configured to be reciprocally movable in a verticaldirection at each of the substrate support holders, with movements ofthe substrate support holders and the substrate centering unit and thesubstrate clampers being independent of each other; fixing the adjustedsubstrate with a substrate fixing holder; and fixing, by a mask holder,a mask at a lower side of the substrate fixing holder.
 2. The method ofclaim 1, wherein the substrate centering device comprises an operationunit configured at the substrate support holders and the organicmaterial deposition chamber, and reciprocally moving the substratecentering unit.
 3. The method of claim 1, wherein the substratecentering unit comprises: a moving member installed to be reciprocallymovable at the substrate support holders; a roller member rotatablymounted on the moving member and rollingly brought into contact withboth sides of the substrate; and at least one return spring installed tobe connected with the substrate support holders and the moving member.4. The method of claim 3, wherein the substrate centering unitcomprises: a pair of stopper members mounted on the moving member andlimiting a reciprocal movement distance of the moving member withrespect to the substrate support holders.
 5. The method of claim 3,wherein an operation unit for reciprocally moving the substratecentering unit is provided at the substrate support holders and theorganic material deposition chamber, and the operation unit comprises:an operation cylinder mounted in a vertical direction in the organicmaterial deposition chamber; a pressure member installed to be connectedwith an operation rod of the operation cylinder; and a cam linkrotatably installed on the substrate support holders, pressurized by thepressure member according to an operation of the operation cylinder, andthe cam link brought into contact with the moving member according tothe operation of the operation cylinder.
 6. A deposition method,comprising: pre-loading a substrate on a substrate centering devicewithin an organic material deposition chamber; adjusting a position ofthe pre-loaded substrate by the substrate centering device, thesubstrate centering device comprising a plurality of substrate supportholders supporting end portions of the substrate and being reciprocallymovable toward and away from the substrate in a horizontal directionwith respect to the substrate, a substrate centering unit extending fromeach of the substrate support holders toward the substrate and beingreciprocally movable toward and away from the substrate in thehorizontal direction with respect to the substrate, and a plurality ofsubstrate clampers connected with the substrate support holders andbeing reciprocally movable in a vertical direction with respect to thesubstrate, with movements of the substrate support holders and thesubstrate centering unit and the substrate clampers being independent ofeach other; holding the adjusted substrate by a substrate fixing holderdisposed within the organic material deposition chamber; and holding, bya mask holder disposed within the organic material deposition chamber, amask below the substrate fixing holder, with the mask holder verticallyreciprocally moveable within the organic material deposition chamber. 7.The method of claim 6, wherein the substrate centering device comprisesan operation unit disposed at the substrate support holders within theorganic material deposition chamber, the substrate centering devicereciprocally moving the substrate centering unit in the horizontaldirection with respect to the substrate.
 8. The method of claim 6,further comprising: reciprocally moving the substrate support holders bya driving unit in the horizontal direction with respect to thesubstrate.
 9. The method of claim 6, wherein each of the substrateclampers further comprises a roller member being in immediate physicalcontact with the substrate.
 10. A method for positioning a substrate,comprising steps of: pre-loading the substrate on a plurality ofsubstrate support holders by moving the plurality of substrate supportholders in a facing direction; adjusting a position of the substrate bymoving a substrate centering unit toward the substrate at each of thesubstrate support holders; and clamping the substrate by moving aplurality of substrate clampers in a vertical direction toward thesubstrate at each of the substrate support holders, with the movementsof the plurality of substrate support holders and the substratecentering unit and the plurality of substrate clampers being independentof each other.
 11. The method of claim 10, further comprising step of:after clamping the substrate, moving the substrate centering unit awayfrom the substrate at each of the substrate support holders.
 12. Themethod of claim 10, wherein during the step of pre-loading thesubstrate, moving the substrate centering unit away from the substrateat each of the substrate support holders.
 13. The method of claim 10,wherein during the step of pre-loading the substrate, the plurality ofsubstrate support holders brought into contact with a bottom of thesubstrate.
 14. The method of claim 10, wherein during the step ofadjusting the position of the substrate, the substrate centering unitbrought into contact with a periphery of the substrate.
 15. The methodof claim 10, wherein during the step of clamping the substrate, theplurality of substrate clampers brought into contact with a top of thesubstrate.